Package-vending machine.



F. L. ROWNTREE. PACKAGE VENDING MACHINE APPLICATION FILED OCT. 19, I914- mm M s l/VVEA/TUR ATTORNEY lT/VESSES:

F L ROWNTREE PACKAGE VENDING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 19. 1914.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

Patented Aug. 31, 1915.

A TTORNEY CONNECTICUT. 7

PACKAGE-VENDING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

FRANKL. nownrann, or sourn ama, coNivncEr cUn-nssienon iroirnn a. an.

MANUFACTURING COMPANY, or nnn'rronn, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION on Application filed October 19, 1914. 'Seri'a1No. 86 7-,32'7;

To all whom it may concern: v

Be it known that I, FRANK L. RowNTREn, a citizen of the United States, residing. at South Mcriden, county of New HavemState of Connecticut, have invented an Improvement in Package Vending Machines, of which the following is a specification] 'l his invention relates to -coin controlled vendingmachines by which packets or packages, as of postagestamps, chewing-gum,'or' chocolate are dispensed, and has for. its b-- jectto provide simple and inexpensivemeans. for protecting the ,owner of the machine.

againstdishonest operators and for protecting operators against the loss of coins,.my,

present improvement :rendering it practically impossible for the operator to lose a coin Without securing apackage in return, or to secure more thanone package for a com.

'With these and other objects in view I have devised the novel improvement in coinoperated package vending, machines :which will be hereinafter described and then specifically pointed out in the claims hereunto appended.

In the accompanying drawings forming a portion of this specification, Figure 1 is a front elevation of the machine with the. casing removed; Fig. 2 a plan view .partly broken away; Fig. 3 a side elevation partly broken away, of the operative parts, as seen from the left in Figs. 1 and 2, and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the coin holder detac'hed.

'denotesthe base which in use is rigidlysecured to a table or counter, 11 standards extending upward therefrom, 12 a bed secured to the standards and provided with a depending ledge 13, and 14 package compartments having openings 15 in front through which the packages 16 may be seen lower horizontal portion21, a vertical portion connectin'gsaid horizontal portions, an I abutment -22-depending from the lower horlzontal portion, lugs 23 extending "laterally from the horizontal. portion and engaging ways 24 011th}: under side of the'ledge, and coin ways 25, depending fromthe front of the horizontal portion,.which recei've the edges of an operating'coin' in use. v'lhe coin, indicated byadott'ed lines only, is-dropped into. a' slot 26 at the back'of ledge 18, and passespinto the "coin ways, the edge of the coinbelow. the ways engaging the edge of acoin holder 27, "secured to theunder side of the ledge, which will presently befully de-l scribed. I v

; 28 denotesithee'jector which is adapted to reciprocate over the face of the bed and is secured to the carrier'by a rivet' 29 which passes through a/slot30 in the bed. e

-v 31 denotes apu'sh rodwhich is adjustably secured 'to a slide '32 adapted to reciprocate on a fixed rod 38. In the present instance there are two slidesandtwo rods forthem to slide on, theslides being-connected together and made rigid by a cross rod 34. Each push rod is preferably blunt pointed at its forward end itoavoid friction upon a coin whenit is, released, as willbe' more fully eX- plained. The rear endcf each push rod has threaded engagement with the corresponding slide and is locked in position after adjustment by a nut 85. Each abutment22 is provided with a clearance slot 36 for the push rod'and each'pus'h rod isprovided with a cross 5pin 37 adapted to engage the'front of the abutment to return the carrier after each forward movement. The slide and push rodareactuated by meansof a plunger 38 which 'passesthrough the ledge and is provided witha head 39 for convenience in operation. a I

40 denotes a bell crank lever pivoted as at 41 ,to a bracket 42 which depends from the-bed. Thelower end of the plunger is, loosely 'pivoted to one arm of the bell-crank lever, the other arm of said lever having pivoted thereto a link 43 and the other end of said link being connected tojthe corresponding slide. Preferably the link. is branchedf (the branches not being shown in the drawings), the ends of the branches being pivoted on cross rod 34. The parts are. returned to their normal position-after each forwardinovement by pring 44, one end of which is connected to the bell'crank lever Patented Aug. 31,1915. J

Each time the carrier and ejector are moved forward, the ejector will pass into slot 45 and push out the lowest package inthe compartment,.passing under the package just above it.: The lowest package is forced out through slot 47,, under the support, into position to-be conveniently removed by. the operator. When there is nocoin in the machine, operationof the plunger will force the.

slide and push rod forward, but will have no effect on the carrier, consequently no package willv be ejected.

To obtain a package the operator must drop a coin of the proper denomination into coin slot 26. The coin will pass down coin ways 25 and its lower edge will rest against the edge 48 of coin holder 27. The operative edge of the coin holder is preferably inclined backward and inward. At the front end of the incline is a-shoulder 49, the front end of the coin holder being preferably out away'as at 50 to provide clearance for the coin when it is released. The operator having placed acoin of the proper denomina-' tion in the coin ways next presses down upon the plunger which actuates the slide and push rod. As the push rod moves forward, it engages the coin and moves the carrier forward causing the ejector to push out a package while the coin is moving forward alongthe inclined edge of the coin holder. Up tothetime the coin has reached shoulder 49 the ejector will not have moved a package forward far enough to permit the operator to remove it, but after the coin has passed the shoulder the package will have been moved by the ejector into position to be removed. Should the operator, however, after having moved the ejector forward just far enough'to enable him to remove the package, attempt, by relieving the pressure on the plunger, to save his coin, this will be prevented by the action of the shoulder of,

the coin holder, which will be engaged by the coin and will stop backward movement of the carrier. It will be readily understood from Fig.2 that the shoulder is so far forward ofthe coin slot as to render it impossible to remove the coin after a package has been delivered, as the instant the pressure upon the push rod.is relieved the push rod will move backward away from the coin which will drop downinto the receptacle provided for it. In other words, a package cannot be removed from the machine until the coin has been carried'so far forward that the shoulder of the coin holder will lock the carrier against backward movement when the pressure on the push rod is relieved. It should I be noted that the instant, in the forward movement of the carrier, that the coin ways have passed beyond the coin slots, the forward end of the lower horizontal portion 20 of the carrier will block the coin slot corresponding with the compartment from which a package has been removed, and the other coin slot will be blocked by the corresponding push rod which will be lying under it. This insures that should an operator remove a package in proper manner from themachine, but without quite completing the downward movement of the plunger, leaving the coin held by the push rod, the coin .ways and the shoulder of the coin holder,

' and the release of the coin, after which the spring will return the parts to their normal position so that a package can be removed in proper manner. It will be understood of course that where there are two or more package compartments, the push rods corresponding with each compartment will be moved forward each time the plunger is pressed downward, but no carrier and ejector will be operated unless a coin has been placed in the corresponding coin ways, and furthermore, that a package may be removed from either compartment or from all simultaneously if coins are placed in the corresponding coin ways.v

Having thus described my invention I claim:.

1. In a machine of the character described, a sliding carrier provided with a coin receiving portion and an abutment; a push rod arranged adjacent the abutment to engage a coin in the coin receiving portion and having a lateral extension arranged in advance of the abutment for engagement therewith upon the return movement of the push rod; a slide connected with the push rod; guide means for the slide; means to move the slide in one direction; automatic means to return the slide to the starting position; and a coin holder arranged near and beneath the coin receiving portion with one of its edges disposed to engage the edge of the coin, said coin holder having a shoulder disposed forwardly of said edge, said shoulder being adapted to be engaged by the coin and thereby lock the carrier against backward movement should the forward movement thereof not be'completed.

and having a lateral extension arranged in advance of the abutment for engagement therewith upon the returnmovement of the push rod; a slide connected with the push rod; guide means for the slide a pivoted bell crank lever; a link connectingthe bell crank lever with the slide; a plunger connected with the bell crank lever to move it; a spring connected with the bell cranklever to return the same to the normal position;

Copies of this patent may be obtained for and a coin holder arranged near and beneath the coin receiving portion with one of j its'edges disposed to engage the edge of the coin said coin holder having a shoulder disposed forwardly of said edge,.said shoulder being adapted to be engaged by the coin and thereby lock the carrier against backward movement should the forward movement thereof not be completed. 7 g

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two Witnesses."

FRANK L. ROWNTREE, Witnessesr NELSON G. JoHNsoN,

R. W. NULLARD.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

